Schoolgirl. 1958. Oil. Painting by Soviet artist Askhat Safargalin (8 August, 1922 – August 26, 1975)

Soviet artist Askhat Safargalin
Born 8 August 1922 in the village of Staroye Kurmashevo in Tatarstan, Askhat Gazizulinovich Safargalin studied in the Kazan art school (1938-1941). However, the artist had to interrupt his study due to the WWII. Veteran of Great Patriotic war, awarded with military awards, he was able to return to his study only after war (1945-1947). In addition, he studied in Kharkov art institute, workshops of prominent Soviet artists A. Kokel, P. Kotov, M. Rybalchenko and L. Chernov (1947-1953). Participant of republic, All-Union and foreign exhibitions of Soviet art, he became a member of the USSR Union of artists in 1958. Besides, personal exhibitions of the artist took place in 1954 and 1977. Honored Artist of the USSR (1968), Safargalin mainly worked in the field of genre and easel painting.
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Self-portrait. 1908. The State Tretyakov Gallery. Soviet Russian landscape painter Nikolay Krymov (1884-1958)

Soviet Russian landscape painter Nikolay Krymov

“I can only write bushes and fences, but this I do best of all.” Nikolai Petrovich Krymov (1884-1958)

Idealization of the landscape is an indispensable feature of Nikolai Krymov’s paintings. Trees, flowers, curves of the road, the clear blue of the sky – everything the artist designed for admiration, quiet contemplation, everything tends to the embodiment of a dream.
Born in Moscow in the family of the artist PA Krymov, who wrote in the manner of the “Wanderers”, Nikolai Krymov got his initial training from his father.
In 1904 he entered the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, where he first studied in the architectural department, and in 1907-1911 – in the landscape studio of Apollinary Vasnetsov. Member of associations: “Blue Rose” and “Union of Russian Artists”.
He made a significant contribution to the scenography, having decorated several performances at the Moscow Art Theater.
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Congratulation on Victory day. 1970s. Oil, canvas. Painting by Soviet Ukrainian artist Nikolai Chuprina (May 13, 1928 – 2000)

Soviet Ukrainian artist Nikolai Chuprina

Born in the village of Korsun, Stalin district, Ukrainian SSR, Nikolai Petrovich Chuprina graduated with honors from Kharkov Art College (1950). Later, in 1956 he graduated from the Kharkov Art and Industrial Institute, where he studied in the workshops of M.A. Shaposhnikov, E.P. Egorov, and L.I. Chernov.
Since 1956 he lived and worked in the Crimea. Member of the Union of Artists of the Ukrainian SSR (1960). Honored Art Worker of Crimea. In 1990 he got the title of Honored Artist of Ukraine, but he did not receive it due to documents lost during the collapse of the USSR.
Nikolai Petrovich died in 2000. His works are in museums and galleries in Ukraine, Russia, in private collections in Spain, France, Germany, Holland, USA, and Japan. Besides, one of the best works of the artist “Portrait of the Wife” (1959) is in the Louvre (France).
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Autumn gifts. Mushroom time. Oil, 1983. Soviet artist Alexandr Alexeyevich Gritsai (1950, Leningrad – 1988, Moscow)

Soviet artist Alexandr Alexeyevich Gritsai

Unfortunately, he lived a short time – thirty-eight years, and from them more than thirty years he drew, sculpted, and painted. In his early childhood Sasha was carried away with modeling of colored plasticine and drawing, depicting heroes of fairy tales and first impressions of the surrounding world. His work attracted attention with vividness and sharpness of characteristics, expressiveness of images.
When for the father of Sasha – People’s Artist of the USSR Alexei Mikhailovich Gritsay – the son’s giftedness became apparent, he began to engage with him regularly. Later, together they went to sketches, spent days in the workshop, often drawing near the sitters. Sasha observed how his father works, and he painted still lifes, landscapes. As time went by, the fastened dialogue between the teacher and the student moved into a close creative community. After four classes of the secondary school, Sasha continued his studies at the Moscow Secondary Art School at the Surikov Institute. The atmosphere of creative competition inherent in the art school, successfully supported by teachers. Frequent visits to the Tretyakov Gallery and the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts contributed to the development of talent for the future artist and the strengthening of his professional training.
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Kolkhoz holiday. 1936-1937. Oil on canvas. Tretyakov gallery. Soviet artist Sergey Vasilievich Gerasimov (1885–1964)

Soviet artist Sergey Vasilievich Gerasimov (1885-1964) studied at the St. Petersburg State Art and Industry Academy named after A. L. Stieglitz, workshops of KA Korovin. And later also in the workshop of Korovin at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. Member of the associations “Moscow Salon” (1911-1920), “World of Art” (1920), “Makovets” (1921-1922), Association of Moscow Artists (1926 -1929), and Association of Artists of Russia (1930 -1932). Professor St. Petersburg State Art and Industry Academy (since 1950). People’s Artist of the USSR. Full member of the Academy of Arts of the USSR. Laureate of the State Prize of the USSR and Lenin Prize. His works are in the State Tretyakov Gallery, the State Russian Museum, the State Museum of Fine Arts of A. Pushkin, the State Literary Museum in Moscow, and others.
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Street children play cards. 1925. Oil. Tretyakov Gallery. Soviet artist Fyodor Bogorodsky (1895, Nizhny Novgorod – 1959, Moscow)

Soviet artist Fyodor Bogorodsky
Portraits of homeless children, painted by Fyodor Semyonovich Bogorodsky in the mid-1920s, became a significant phenomenon in the history of Soviet Art. A generalized social portrait of a homeless child is a boy of 12-14 years old, whose parents were workers or peasants. In early childhood, children were brought up in complete families, therefore, despite the breaking of the psyche in the hardest conditions of homelessness, many of them were oriented to a worthy future. Particularly, to getting education and a good profession from the child’s point of view that would allow them to live a normal life. However, not everyone was destined to return to normal life. Such was the price for the socio-political upheavals that swept Russia in the first quarter of the 20th century.
In addition, along with homeless children, Fyodor Bogorodsky devoted his paintings to revolutionary sailors.
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Generous Earth (fragment of painting). 1976. G.I. Popov (born 1939, Vologda region). Oil on canvas. Soviet naive art 1974 All-Union exhibition

Soviet naive art 1974 All-Union exhibition
In essence, amateur art is one of the brightest social phenomena characteristic of our, the Soviet way of life. From the first years of the existence of Soviet power, the party and government attached great importance to the movement of independent activity. In addition, it was a means of education in every working person a harmoniously developed personality. Still, it was one of the most important factors in creating a rich spiritual culture of the people. It is well known, what attention the party and the government paid to the development of the amateur movement. In particular, the number of amateur circles, clubs, studios, full-time and correspondence forms of upbringing and education grew. Also, concerts, exhibitions, festivals of amateur art were systematically organized. And, finally, the special government resolutions of 1978 and 1979 consolidated the achievements of amateur art and opened the way for its development. In particular, the Resolution of the CPSU Central Committee (March, 1978) “On measures for the further development of amateur artistic creativity,” and a similar resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR No. 275, March 1979.
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